Modern Afghanistan: The Impact of 40 Years of War

Full description:

What impact does 40 years of war, violence, and military intervention have on a country and its people? Modern Afghanistan is a collection of the work of interdisciplinary scholars, aid workers, and citizens to assess the impact of this prolonged conflict on Afghanistan. Nearly all of the people in Afghan society have been affected by persistent violent conflict. The book focuses on social and political dynamics, issues of gender, and the shifting relationships between tribal, sectarian, and regional communities. Contributors consider topics ranging from masculinity among the Afghan Pashtun to services offered for the disabled, and from Taliban extremism to the role of TV in the Afghan culture wars. Prioritizing the perspective and experiences of the people of Afghanistan, new insights are shared into the lives of those who are hoping to build a secure future on the rubble of a violent past.

Biography:

M. Nazif Shahrani is Professor of Anthropology in Central Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University. He is author of Afghanistan's Alternatives for Peace, Governance and Development: Transforming Subjects to Citizens and Rulers to Civil Servants. Robert L. Canfield is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is editor (with Gabriele Rasuly-Paleczek) of Ethnicity, Authority, and Power in Central Asia: New Games Great and Small.